This is certainly a shot that you have probably seen a hundred times from the west end of Rollins. However, I included it mainly because of what you can see in the distance behind the train. A track inspector is on the rails, following the train west. Talk about train chasing!
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The crew on the train to the right (on the siding) has died and is waiting for a relief crew out of Denver. The train to the left (on the main) has a fresh crew and is passing the train in the siding. The train will end up meeting again at some point though, as both are headed for the West Elk mine on the North Fork Branch in western Colorado.
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A crew members from the MNYRO stands by on the front porch of UP 6302 as a "Snow Bus" passes by on the siding. The Snow Bus is used to transport crews back and forth to trains that cannot be reached by road (due to adverse weather).
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After getting the switch at west Rollins clear of snow and ice, UP 1989 and crew met an eastbound coal load, seen here taking the siding at Rollins. UP 1989 was originally going to meet the train at Tolland, but a frozen switch at west Rollins changes the location of the meet.
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Ahh, the not-so-glamorous side of railroading! With the switch heater out of order at the west switch of Rollins, the conductor had to use a pick to clear the switch points of snow and ice. After throwing the switch a few times by hand, DS-82 was again able to throw the switch remotely from her desk 500 miles away in Omaha, NE.
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I was very lucky to be able to get this shot. The Snow Bus was running well ahead of me (hindered by slow speeds on icy roads). However, the switch heater at west Rollins was not working and the switch was out of correspondence. UP 1989 had to stop so the conductor could walk up to the switch and swing/pick the snow out of the switch points, allowing me to grab a couple of nice shots, like this one.
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